REPORT

IN T

2018

[EMBARGO 30 OCT] LPR2018_Summary_22.10.2018

Living Planet
Report 2018
Aiming higher - Summary

Institute of Zoology (Zoological Society of London)
Founded in 1826, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) is an
international scientific, conservation and educational organization. Its
mission is to achieve and promote the worldwide conservation of animals
and their habitats. ZSL runs ZSL London Zoo and ZSL Whipsnade Zoo;
carries out scientific research in the Institute of Zoology; and is actively
involved in field conservation worldwide. ZSL manages the Living Planet
Index® in a collaborative partnership with WWF.
WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most experienced independent
conservation organizations, with over 5 million supporters and a global
network active in more than 100 countries. WWF’s mission is to stop
the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and to build a
future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the
world’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural
resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and
wasteful consumption.
© WWF
Marco Lambertini,
Director General
WWF International
Citation
WWF. 2018. Living Planet Report - 2018: Aiming Higher.
Grooten, M. and Almond, R.E.A.(Eds). WWF, Gland, Switzerland.
Design and infographics by: peer&dedigitalesupermarkt
Cover photograph: © Global Warming Images / WWF
Children dive into the sea at sunset, Funafuti, Tuvalu
Living Planet Report®
and Living Planet Index®
are registered trademarks
of WWF International.
WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 2
A NEW GLOBAL DEAL FOR NATURE
AND PEOPLE URGENTLY NEEDED
Few people have the chance to find themselves on the cusp of a truly
historic transformation. I passionately believe that this is where we
stand today.
On one hand, we have known for many years that we are driving the
planet to the brink. The astonishing decline in wildlife populations
shown by the latest Living Planet Index – a 60% fall in just over
40 years – is a grim reminder and perhaps the ultimate indicator
of the pressure we exert on the planet.
On the other hand, science has never been clearer about the
consequences of our impact.
The nature conservation agenda is not only about securing the
future of tigers, pandas, whales and all the amazing diversity of life
we love and cherish on Earth. It’s bigger than that. There cannot be
a healthy, happy and prosperous future for people on a planet with
a destabilized climate, depleted oceans and rivers, degraded land
and empty forests, all stripped of biodiversity, the web of life that
sustains us all.
In the next years, we need to urgently transition to a net carbon-
neutral society and halt and reverse nature loss – through green
finance, clean energy and environmentally friendly food production.
We must also preserve and restore enough land and ocean in a
natural state.
Few people have the chance to be a part of truly historic
transformations. This is ours.
We have before us an unparalleled yet rapidly closing opportunity
as we head into the year 2020, when the world will review its
progress on sustainable development by means of the Sustainable
Development Goals, the Paris Agreement and the Convention on
Biological Diversity. And this is when the world should embrace a
new global deal for nature and people and truly demonstrate the
path we are choosing for people and the planet.
The choice is ours.
Summary page 3
SETTING THE SCENE
We live in an age of rapid and unprecedented planetary change.
Indeed, many scientists believe our ever-increasing consumption,
and the resulting increased demand for energy, land and water, is
driving a new geological epoch: the Anthropocene. It’s the first time
in the Earth’s history that a single species – Homo sapiens – has
had such a powerful impact on the planet.
This rapid planetary change, referred to as the ‘Great Acceleration’, NATURE, UNDERPINNED
has brought many benefits to human society. Yet we now also
understand that there are multiple connections between the
BY BIODIVERSITY,
overall rise in our health, wealth, food and security, the unequal PROVIDES A WEALTH
distribution of these benefits and the declining state of the Earth’s OF SERVICES, WHICH
natural systems. Nature, underpinned by biodiversity, provides FORM THE BUILDING
a wealth of services, which form the building blocks of modern BLOCKS OF MODERN
society; but both nature and biodiversity are disappearing at an
alarming rate. Despite well-meaning attempts to stop this loss
SOCIETY; BUT
through global agreements such as the Convention on Biological BOTH NATURE AND
Diversity, we are failing; current targets and consequent actions BIODIVERSITY ARE
amount, at best, to a managed decline. To achieve climate and DISAPPEARING AT AN
sustainable development commitments, reversing the loss of nature ALARMING RATE
and biodiversity is critical.
Everything that has built modern human society, with its benefits
and luxuries, is provided by nature and we will continue to need
these natural resources to survive and thrive. Increasingly, research
demonstrates nature’s incalculable importance to our health,
wealth, food and security 1-3. What future benefits might we discover
in the millions of species yet to be described, let alone studied? As
we better understand our reliance on natural systems it’s clear that
nature is not just a ‘nice to have’.
All economic activity ultimately depends on services provided by
nature, making it an immensely valuable component of a nation’s
wealth. It’s estimated that, globally, nature provides services worth
around US$125 trillion a year 4. Governments, business and the
finance sector are starting to question how global environmental
risks – such as increasing pressure on agricultural land, soil
degradation, water stress and extreme weather events – will
affect the macroeconomic performance of countries, sectors and
financial markets.
Figure 1: The
importance of nature
to people
Nature provides us with
vital goods and services.
Adapted from Van
Oorschot et al., 2016 5.

Since 1998 the Living Planet Report, a science-based assessment

of the health of our planet, has been tracking the state of global NATURE IS HOME TO NATURE AS SOURCE NATURE PROVIDES NATURE INSPIRES US
biodiversity. In this landmark anniversary edition, 20 years after BIODIVERSITY FOR FOOD, SHELTER CLEAN WATER, AIR AND
its original publication, the Living Planet Report 2018 provides AND MEDICINES HEALTHY SOILS
a platform for the best science, cutting-edge research and diverse
voices on the impact of humans on the health of our Earth. More
than 50 experts from academia, policy, international development
and conservation organizations have contributed to this edition.

This growing collective voice is crucial if we are to reverse the trend

of biodiversity loss. The extinction of a multitude of species on Earth
seems not to have captured the imagination, or attention, of the
world’s leaders enough to catalyse the change necessary.
Together, we are advocating the need for a new global deal for
nature and people that addresses the crucial questions of how
to feed a growing global population, limit warming to 1.5°C, and
restore nature.

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 4 Summary page 5

THE GREAT ACCELERATION
We are living through the Great Acceleration – a unique event in the 4.5 billion-year Figure 2: The Great Acceleration
The increasing rates of change in human activity since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. The 1950s marks
history of our planet – with exploding human population and economic growth driving an explosion in growth. After this time, human activities (left panels) begin to interfere significantly with Earth’s
unprecedented planetary change through the increased demand for energy, land and water life support system (right panels) (these graphs are from Steffen et al., 2015 7 and all the references to the datasets
(figure 2) 6,7. This is so great that many scientists believe we are entering a new geological behind them are in the original paper).
epoch, the Anthropocene 8,9. Some of these changes have been positive, some negative, and
all of them are interconnected. What is increasingly clear is that human development and
wellbeing are reliant on healthy natural systems, and we cannot continue to enjoy the former
without the latter.

SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRENDS EARTH SYSTEM TRENDS

WORLD POPULATION REAL GDP FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2) NITROUS OXIDE METHANE
8 70 2,5 390 330 1800

athmospheric conc., ppm

Athmospheric conc., ppb

Athmospheric conc., ppb

7 60 320
2 1600
trillion US dollars

trillion US dollars
6 50 360 310
1400
5 1,5
40 300
billion

4 330 1200
30 1 290
3
1000
2 20 300 280
0,5 800
1 10 270
0 0 0 270 260 600
1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

URBAN POPULATION PRIMARY ENERGY USE FERTILIZER CONSUMPTION STRATOSPHERIC OZONE SURFACE TEMPERATURE OCEAN ACIDIFICATION
4 600 200 100 0,6 8,4
180 8,2

temperature anomaly, °C

hydrogen ion, nmol kg-1

500 160 80 0,4 8
3
million tonnes

140 7,8
exajoule (EJ)

400 0,2
120 60 7,6
billion

% loss
2 300 100 0 7,4
80 40 7,2
200 60 -0,2 7
1
100 40 20 -0,4 6,8
20 6,6
0 0 0 0 -0,6 6,4
1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

LARGE DAMS GLOBAL WATER USE PAPER PRODUCTION MARINE FISH CAPTURE SHRIMP AQUACULTURE NITROGEN TO COASTAL ZONE
35 4,5 450 80 4 100

human N flux, Mtons yr-1

4 400 70 3,5 90
30
3,5 350 80
60 3
thousand dams

25
million tonnes

million tonnes

million tonnes
70
thousand km3

3 300
50 2,5 60
20 2,5 250
40 2 50
15 2 200
30 1,5 40
1,5 150 30
10 20 1
1 100 20
5 0,5 50 10 0,5 10
0 0 0 0 0 0
1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

TRANSPORTATION TELECOMMUNICATIONS INTERNATIONAL TOURISM TROPICAL FOREST LOSS DOMESTICATED LAND TERRESTRIAL BIOSPHERE DEGRADATION

% decrease in mean species abundance

1400 7 1000 30 0,5 40
billion phone subscriptions

900
1200 6
million motor vehicles

800 25

% of total land area

30
million arrivals

1000 5 700
% loss (area)

20
800 4 600
500 15 0,25 20
600 3 400
300 10
400 2 10
200 5
200 1
100
0 0 0 0 0 0
1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000 1750 1800 1850 1900 1950 2000

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 6

THREATS OLD AND NEW

© Staffan Widstrand - WWF

“GUNS, NETS AND
In a recent paper, researchers writing in the journal Nature analysed BULLDOZERS: THE
the most prevalent threats facing more than 8,500 threatened or THREATS OF OLD ARE
near-threatened species on the IUCN Red List 10. They found that STILL THE DOMINANT
the key drivers of biodiversity decline remain overexploitation and DRIVERS OF CURRENT
agriculture. Indeed, of all the plant, amphibian, reptile, bird and
mammal species that have gone extinct since AD 1500, 75% were
SPECIES LOSS.”
harmed by overexploitation or agricultural activity or both. MAXWELL ET AL. 2016 10
Figure 3: Threats to
Beyond overexploitation and agriculture, invasive species are nature and the drivers
another frequent threat, their spread relying heavily on trade- and pressures behind
them
related activities such as shipping. Pollution and disturbance, for Habitat loss due
example through agricultural pollution, dams, fires and mining, are to agriculture and
additional sources of pressure. Climate change is playing a growing overexploitation remain
the biggest threats
role and is already beginning to have an effect at an ecosystem, to biodiversity and
species and even genetic level 11. ecosystems.

DRIVERS PRESSURES THREATS BIODIVERSITY BENEFITS

FROM NATURE
CONSUMPTION AGRICULTURE HABITAT LOSS SPECIES PROVISIONING
AND DEGRADATION

PRODUCTION FORESTRY OVEREXPLOITATION ECOSYSTEMS REGULATING

MARKETS FISHING AND HUNTING CLIMATE CHANGE SUPPORTING

FINANCE ENERGY AND POLLUTION CULTURAL

TRANSPORTATION

GOVERNANCE MINING INVASIVE SPECIES

Melting iceberg on coast Qaanaaq, Greenland, Arctic.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Summary page 9
A SNAPSHOT OF CONSUMPTION WORLDWIDE
Overexploitation and ever-expanding agriculture are driven by spiralling human consumption.
Over the past 50 years our Ecological Footprint – one measure of our consumption of natural
resources – has increased by about 190% 12. Creating a more sustainable system will require
major changes to production, supply and consumption activities. For this we need a detailed
understanding of how these complex components link together, and the actors involved, from
source to shelf, wherever they may be on the planet 13-15.
Looking at the Ecological Footprint of each person at the national level provides an additional
insight into where the world’s resources are being consumed (figure 4) 16. Varying levels of
Ecological Footprint are due to different lifestyles and consumption patterns, including the
quantity of food, goods and services residents consume, the natural resources they use, and the
carbon dioxide emitted to provide these goods and services 17.

Figure 4: Global map

of Ecological Footprint
of consumption, 2014
Total Ecological Footprint
is a function of both total
population and rates of
consumption. A country’s
consumption includes the
Ecological Footprint it
produces, plus imports
from other countries,
minus exports 12.

Key

< 1.75 gha

1.75 - 3.5 gha
3.5 - 5.25 gha
5.25 - 7 gha
> 7 gha
Insufficient data

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 10 Summary page 11

THREATS AND PRESSURES ON
LAND DISRUPTION OF FUNCTIONS

In March 2018, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and WETLANDS ARE THE
Ecosystem Services (IPBES) released its latest Land Degradation
and Restoration Assessment (LDRA), finding that only a quarter of
MOST IMPACTED DISRUPTION OF HABITAT
land on Earth is substantively free of the impacts of human activities 18. CATEGORY, HAVING
By 2050 this fraction is projected to decline to just a tenth. Wetlands LOST 87% OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT LAND USE CHOICES
are the most impacted category, having lost 87% of their extent in EXTENT IN THE pollution
degradation
the modern era. MODERN ERA emissions

The immediate causes of land degradation are typically local –

the inappropriate management of the land resource – but the
underlying drivers are often regional or global, including the
growing demand for ecosystem-derived products, beyond the
declining capacity of ecosystems to supply them.
DIRECT BIODIVERSITY LOSS
Land degradation includes forest loss; while globally this has slowed
Figure 5:
due to reforestation and plantations it has accelerated in tropical Direct and indirect
forests that contain some of the highest levels of biodiversity on negative impacts of land
Earth 19. In one study carried out in 46 countries in the tropics and use choices on biodiversity
subtropics, large-scale commercial agriculture and local subsistence
agriculture were responsible for about 40% and 33% of forest
conversion between 2000 and 2010 20. The remaining 27% of
deforestation was due to urban growth, infrastructure expansion “REHABILITATING DAMAGED LANDS IS COST-
and mining (this is further explored in FAO FRA 2016 21).
EFFECTIVE DESPITE THE HIGH INITIAL PRICE,
This ongoing degradation has many impacts on species, the quality
of habitats and the functioning of ecosystems. Negative impacts
IF THE FULL LONG-TERM COSTS AND BENEFITS
can be direct, such as direct biodiversity loss (for example through TO SOCIETY ARE CONSIDERED. COORDINATED,
URGENT ACTION IS NEEDED TO SLOW AND
deforestation) and the disruption of habitats and of biodiversity-
mediated functions (such as soil formation); or they can be indirect,

REVERSE THE PERVASIVE UNDERMINING OF

through their effect on the broader environment that ultimately
affects habitats, functions and species richness and abundance
(figure 5).
THE BASIS OF LIFE ON EARTH.”
ROBERT SCHOLES, CO-CHAIR OF THE IPBES LAND DEGRADATION AND
RESTORATION ASSESSMENT

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 12 Summary page 13

WHAT’S SO SPECIAL IN THE SOIL?
A quarter of all the life on Earth can be found beneath our feet 22.
Soil biodiversity encompasses microorganisms (those only visible
under microscopes, such as fungi and bacteria), microfauna
(with a body size less than 0.1mm, such as nematodes and
tardigrades), mesofauna (invertebrates ranging from 0.1 to 2mm
in width, including mites and springtails), macrofauna (with a
body size from 2 to 20mm in width, including ants, termites and
earthworms) and megafauna (that are more than 20mm wide,
including soil-living mammals such as moles).
These underground organisms influence the physical structure
and chemical composition of soils. They are essential for enabling
and regulating critical ecosystem processes such as carbon
sequestration, greenhouse gas emissions, and the uptake of nutrients
by plants. They represent a storehouse for potential medical
applications as well as new biological controls on
pathogens and pests.
The recently published Global Soil Biodiversity Atlas mapped for
the first time potential threats to soil biodiversity across the globe 22.
A risk index was generated by combining eight potential stressors
to soil organisms: loss of above-ground diversity, pollution and
nutrient overloading, overgrazing, intensive agriculture, fire, soil
erosion, desertification and climate change. Proxies were chosen to
represent the spatial distribution of each threat. Figure 6 shows the
distribution of index scores and represents a first attempt to assess
the distribution of threats to soil organisms at global scale.
The areas with the lowest level of risk are mainly concentrated
in the northern part of the northern hemisphere. These regions
are generally less subjected to direct anthropogenic effects (e.g.
agriculture) although indirect effects (such as climate change)
may become more significant in the future. Not surprisingly, the
areas with highest risk are those that reflect the greatest exposure
to human activities (e.g. intensive agriculture, increased
urbanization, pollution).

Figure 6: Global
map showing the
distribution of
potential threats to
soil biodiversity
All datasets were
harmonized on a 0-1 scale
and summed, with total
scores categorized into
five risk classes (from
very low to very high) 22.

Key

Very low
Low
Moderate
High
Very high
Not available
Water
Ice

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 14 Summary page 15

 Pollinators: what’s all the buzz about?

© Ola Jennersten - WWF-Sweden

Michael Garratt, Tom Breeze, Deepa Senapathi, University of Reading
The majority of flowering plants are pollinated by insects and
other animals. It has been estimated that the proportion of
animal-pollinated wild plant species rises from an average
of 78% in temperate-zone communities to 94% in tropical
communities 23. Taxonomically speaking, pollinators are a
diverse group, including more than 20,000 species of bees,
many other types of insects (e.g. flies, butterflies, moths, wasps
and beetles) and even vertebrates such as some birds and
bats. Most pollinators are wild but a few species of bees can be
managed, such as honeybees (Apis mellifera, Apis cerana), some
bumblebees and a few solitary bees 24.

Our food production depends heavily upon these pollinators

– more than 75% of the leading global food crops benefit
from pollination 25. Some of these crops – especially fruits and
vegetables – are key sources of human nutrition. High yields
in large-scale intensive production of crops such as apples,
almonds and oilseeds depend on insect pollination 26-28 but so
do the crops of smallholder farmers in the developing world,
where healthy populations of wild pollinators increase yields
significantly 29. Economically, pollination increases the global
value of crop production by US$235-577 billion per year to
growers alone and keeps prices down for consumers by ensuring
stable supplies 30.

Changing land use due to agricultural intensification and

urban expansion is one of a number of key drivers of pollinator
loss, especially when natural areas, that provide foraging and
nesting resources, are degraded or disappear. Improving habitat
diversity within the landscape, and the inclusion of non-
agricultural habitats within land management plans, have been
shown to ameliorate pollinator loss, boost pollinator numbers
and improve ecosystem services 31. Landscape-scale initiatives
to improve habitat heterogeneity and connectivity have been
incorporated in several national and international initiatives
which focus on protecting pollinators 32. The abundance, diversity
and health of pollinators is also threatened by a number of
other drivers including a changing climate, invasive species and
emerging diseases and pathogens; appropriate local, national
and global actions are needed to mitigate these threats as well 24.

The red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) is a widespread and generalist

species of bumblebee and so it is a really important pollinator of many different crops
across Europe.

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 16

 POPULATION INDICATOR: How to interpret the Living Planet Index
THE LIVING PLANET INDEX
Living Planet Indices – whether the Global Index or those for a specific realm or species
group – show the average rate of change over time across a set of species populations. These
populations are taken from the Living Planet Database, which now contains information on
more than 22,000 populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians. The global
LPI is based on just over 16,700 of these populations. This is because some populations
The Living Planet Index (LPI) is an indicator of the state of global
overlap in both space and time, so to avoid double-counting, certain populations are not
biodiversity and the health of our planet. First published in 1998, for
included when calculating a global trend.
two decades it has tracked the population abundance of thousands
of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians from around the
world. It uses the trends that emerge as a measure for changes in Figure 8: Interpreting
the LPI
biodiversity 33. The species population data that is collected goes into
Explanations of the most
a global index, as well as indices for more specific biogeographic important terms needed to
areas, referred to as realms, based upon distinct groupings of understand the LPI 1.
species.
Baseline Index values
GLOBAL
2 Figure 7: The Global The index starts at a value of These values represent the average change in population
Living Planet Index, 1. If the LPI and confidence abundance – based on the relative change and not the
1970 to 2014
limits move away from this absolute change – in population sizes. The shaded areas
Average abundance
of 16,704 populations baseline, we can say there has show 95% confidence limits. These illustrate how certain
Index value (1970 = 1)

representing 4,005 species been an increase (above 1) or we are about the trend in any given year relative to 1970.
monitored across the globe
decline (below 1) compared The confidence limits always widen throughout the time-
declined by 60%. The white
1 line shows the index to 1970. series as the uncertainty from each of the previous years
values and the shaded is added to the current year.
areas represent the
statistical certainty
surrounding the trend
(range: -50% to -67%) 34.
GLOBAL
2

Key
0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 Global Living Planet
Index

Index value (1970 = 1)

Confidence limits

This year’s indices include data from 1970 – set as a common 1

starting year for many indicators – to 2014, because not enough
information is available before 1970 or after 2014 to produce a
robust and meaningful index. This is because it takes time to collect,
process and publish monitoring data, so there can be a time lag
before these can be added to the LPI.
0
The global index, calculated using available data for all species and 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010
regions, shows an overall decline of 60% in the population sizes of
vertebrates between 1970 and 2014 (figure 7) – in other words, an
average drop of well over half in less than 50 years. Cut-off
The final year of the index depends on data availability and is the latest year for which we
have a good amount of data. For the final year, this is because it takes time to collect, process
and publish monitoring data, so there can be a time lag before these can be added to the LPI.

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 18 Summary page 19

 Threats to LPI populations around the world Figure 9: The Living Planet
Indices and the distribution
of threats for each taxonomic
All freshwater and terrestrial populations in the global LPI are assigned to one of five major group for each realm
In each realm, the white line in the
biogeographic realms, regions characterized by distinct assemblages of species (defined in LPI graphs on the left shows the
Olson et al. 2001 35). The Index is then recalculated for just the species populations in that index values and the shaded areas
region and, where possible, threats for each realm are catalogued. This gives us a better represent the statistical certainty
surrounding the trend (95%). The
understanding of how biodiversity is changing in different parts of the world and helps us to bar chart on the right shows the
identify whether different local threat processes are driving these changes. PALEARCTIC
2
distribution of threats for each
BIRDS
taxonomic group for each realm.

Index value (1970 = 1)

The LPI database also records MAMMALS
Species population declines are especially pronounced in the tropics, with the Neotropical information on threats facing 1
realm, covering South and Central America, and the Caribbean, suffering the most dramatic just under a quarter – 3,789 – of FISHES

decline with an 89% loss compared to 1970. Nearctic and Palearctic populations are faring the populations in the global LPI.
REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS
Populations may face more than
slightly better with declines of 23% and 31%. Habitat degradation and loss is consistently one threat 34. 0

the most reported threat in all realms; but there are some 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

noteworthy variations among realms and

taxonomic groups.

PALEARCTIC

NEARCTIC
NEARCTIC
2

BIRDS
Index value (1970 = 1)

MAMMALS

1
FISHES

REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

AFROTROPICAL
0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

NEOTROPICAL
NEOTROPICAL
2

BIRDS

INDO - PACIFIC
Index value (1970 = 1)

AFROTROPICAL
2

MAMMALS BIRDS

Index value (1970 = 1)

1
FISHES MAMMALS

1
REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS FISHES

0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Key

Habitat degradation/
INDO-PACIFIC
2

loss BIRDS

Index value (1970 = 1)

Exploitation MAMMALS

Invasive species and 1

disease FISHES

Pollution REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS

Climate change 0
1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 20

DIFFERENT BIODIVERSITY

© National Geographic Stock - Steve Winter - WWF

INDICATORS, SAME STORY
Biodiversity: A multifaceted concept requires
multiple indicators
Biodiversity is often referred to as the ‘web of life’. It is the variety
of all living things – plants, animals and micro-organisms – and
the ecosystems of which they are a part. It includes diversity within
species and between species and can refer to any geographic scale – ABUNDANCE
from a small study plot to the entire planet 46.

Species, and the natural systems around us, respond to human

pressures and conservation interventions in a variety of ways and
there is no single measure to capture all these changes. That’s
why different metrics and indicators are needed to understand
biodiversity change as well as to track progress towards biodiversity
targets and to devise effective conservation programmes.

In addition, the direction of abundance trends is only available

for a minority of species. For example, the IUCN Red List uses DISTRIBUTION
information about species-level increases and decreases as one of
the criteria for assessing extinction risk. The Database currently
contains this information for 60% of mammals, 64% of amphibians,
92% of birds and 52% of the world’s reptiles 47. The magnitude of
these trends is known for far fewer species. Other taxonomic groups
are even less well-monitored 47. To compensate for this scarcity
of observational data, other biodiversity measures and ecological
models can be used to track biodiversity change and inform
conservation strategies.
COMPOSITION
Population trend data is just one way to track changes in
biodiversity. Three other biodiversity indicators can complement
the Living Planet Index and put its trends in a broader context: the
Species Habitat Index, measuring changes in species distribution;
the IUCN Red List Index, which tracks extinction risk; and the
Biodiversity Intactness Index, which looks at changes in community
composition. All these paint the same picture – that of continued
biodiversity loss.

EXTINCTION RISK
A camera trap captures an endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) in Hemis National Park, a
high altitude national park in the eastern Ladakh region of the state of Jammu and Kashmir in India.

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 22 Summary page 23

AIMING HIGHER – BENDING THE The Strategic Plan for the Convention on Biological Diversity
(2010–2020) includes the 20 Aichi Targets to be achieved by 2020.

CURVE OF BIODIVERSITY LOSS

Recent projections suggest that this is unlikely for most of the
targets 49. Yet the 2050 vision requires a much more ambitious goal,
which will necessitate recovery of biodiversity and bending the curve
by 2030. The black line indicates currently observed trends (to
2015), dotted lines show extrapolations from current trends (black)
Biodiversity has been described as the ‘infrastructure’ that supports and projections for biodiversity after 2030 that are declining (red),
all life on Earth. The natural systems and biochemical cycles that stabilizing (orange) or recovering (green).
biological diversity generates allow the stable functioning of our
atmosphere, oceans, forests, landscapes and waterways. They are,
simply, a prerequisite for our modern, prosperous human society to “Develop national strategies, plans or
exist, and to continue to thrive 1, 48. programmes for the conservation and
sustainable use of biological diversity;
Without a dramatic move beyond ‘business as usual’ the current Integrate [...] the conservation and
severe decline of the natural systems that support modern societies sustainable use of biological diversity
will continue – with serious consequences for nature and people. into relevant sectoral or cross-sectoral
Between now and the end of 2020, there is a unique window of plans, programmes and policies”
opportunity to shape a positive vision for nature and people. The
Convention on Biological Diversity is in the process of setting new
CBD
“...achieve by 2010
goals and targets for the future. These, together with the Sustainable a significant reduction
Development Goals, will become the key international frameworks of the current rate of
for protecting nature and enhancing biodiversity. biodiversity loss”

Despite numerous international scientific studies and policy COP6

agreements confirming that the conservation and sustainable use UN Decade of Biodiversity
of biological diversity is a global priority, worldwide trends in (2011-2020): Strategic plan,

Biodiversity index
biodiversity continue to decline. Figure 10 shows starkly how poorly 20 Biodiversity Targets
natural systems have fared since internationally agreed policy across five strategic goals
commitments such as CBD targets came into force. However, it also
offers a vision for the future: if we aim higher and move away from
Aichi Targets
business as usual, implementing approaches designed to restore Observed trends Modelled
projections
nature rather than simply tracking a managed decline, then we can
achieve a healthier, more sustainable world that is good for people
as well as our natural systems.
Extrapolated
trends

1970 1990 2010 2030 2050

Figure 10: Biodiversity

declines have continued
despite repeated policy
commitments aimed at
slowing or halting the
rate of loss
(redrawn from Mace et al.
2018 3).

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 24 Summary page 25

 Box 1: Global biodiversity commitments to 2020, 2030 and 2050
enshrined in the CBD and SDG frameworks
CBD vision: By 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used,
maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential
for all people.
CBD Aichi target 5: By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats,
including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close to zero,
and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.
CBD Aichi target 12: By 2020 the extinction of known threatened species
has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in
decline, has been improved and sustained.
Sustainable Development Goals
SDG 14 and 15: By 2030 “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas
and marine resources.” (SDG 14) and “Sustainably manage forests, combat
desertification, halt and reverse land degradation, halt biodiversity loss.”
(SDG 15). Target 15.5: “Take urgent and significant action to reduce the
degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and protect and
prevent the extinction of threatened species.”
ECONOMY
SOCIETY
BIOSPHERE
WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 26
A roadmap for 2020 to 2050
This degradation of nature is among the most serious issues that
the world faces, but current targets and consequent actions amount,
at best, to a managed decline. Chapter 4 of the report is inspired
by a paper that was conceived during the brainstorming for this
anniversary edition of the Living Planet Report and published on
14 September 2018 in Nature Sustainability. ‘Aiming Higher –
bending the curve of biodiversity loss’ 50 argues that what the world
requires is bold and well-defined goals and a credible set of actions
to restore the abundance of nature to levels that enable both people
and nature to thrive.
In the paper, the authors suggest three necessary steps in a roadmap
for the post-2020 agenda: (1) clearly specify the goal for biodiversity
recovery, (2) develop a set of measurable and relevant indicators
of progress, and (3) agree a suite of actions that can collectively
achieve the goal in the required timeframe.
Step 1: Translate the aspirational vision to an
ambitious goal
The first step in the development of a biodiversity roadmap is
to specify the goal. The current CBD vision is that “By 2050,
biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used,
maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and
delivering benefits essential for all people.” When it was written, it
was an aspirational vision for the future. The Aiming Higher paper
argues that this vision is concrete and achievable enough to be the
basis of the goal of a post-2020 agreement on biodiversity. Achieving
this ambitious goal will require a new set of targets that aim higher
and are effective beyond 2020.
Figure 11: Making
connections
Johan Rockström and
Pavan Sukhdev modified
an infographic developed
by the Science Director of
the Stockholm Resilience
Centre, Carl Folke, and
others to present new way
of viewing the Sustainable
Development Goals and
to show how they are all
linked to food (credit: Azote
Images for Stockholm
Resilience Centre).
Summary page 27
Step 2: Identify ways to measure progress Figure 12: Required
trajectories for

towards the goal

the three proposed
biodiversity indicators
These reflect conservation
status (that is global
Keeping track of the status of biodiversity, and progress towards extinction risk), population
targets, requires suitable indicators. Biodiversity assessment trend (changes to average
requires multiple measures at different spatial scales and across population abundance) and
biotic integrity (changes to
different ecological dimensions. The different metrics that are in local, functional diversity)
common use capture different properties of biodiversity, and their from the present to 2050,

Population trend
responses to pressures vary 51. Mace et al. has argued for indicators based on the commitments
in Box 1. These curves
that can track three key dimensions of biodiversity necessary for would represent a successful
the vision and the goals described here, and in the CBD and SDG recovery and restoration of
targets (Figure 12): nature. Note that while the
curves are based on recent
data and analyses they are
1) Changes in population abundance: Trends in the abundance of necessarily approximate
wild species are well captured by population-level indicators such and so the indicator axes do
not have figures attached to
as the Living Planet Index (LPI) 54 them (redrawn from Mace
et al. 2018 50).
2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
2) Extinction rate on a global scale: The extent to which species are
threatened with the risk of extinction is estimated by the Red List The two top graphs show
lines for both threatened
Index (RLI) 52, 53
and all species because
preventing extinction is
3) Changes to local biodiversity: Changes in the ‘health’ of the aim of the current Aichi
Target 12 and is an absolute

Conservation status
ecosystems can be estimated by comparing what currently exists
measure of conservation
with what once existed in a given place using indicators such as success or failure.
the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII) 55, 56
Key

Step 3: Identify actions to deliver the required All species

transformation in global biodiversity

Threatened species

Scenarios and models can help scientists to visualize and explore In the bottom graph, we
have included biomes as 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
how alternative actions affect the dynamic interdependencies tracking changes to biomes
between nature, nature’s benefits to people and quality of life. is critical to Aichi Target
However, the challenge we face is that we not only need to identify 5. There is also a line for
ecoregions, as these are
potential pathways that will allow us to restore biodiversity, we used within Target 11 as
also need to achieve the necessary transformation while feeding a part of the element on
still growing population under the accelerating effects of climate protected areas and to

Biotic integrity
ensure that biodiversity in
change in a rapidly changing world. Therefore, although traditional different areas of the world
biodiversity conservation interventions such as protected areas is equally represented (see
and species conservation planning remain crucial, action must also box 1 for more information
about all these targets).
address the major drivers of biodiversity loss and ecosystem change,
such as agriculture and overexploitation. Key

Biomes
Ecoregions
2010 2020 2030 2040 2050

WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 28 Summary page 29

THE PATH AHEAD
The evidence becomes stronger every day that humanity’s survival
depends on our natural systems, yet we continue to destroy the
health of nature at an alarming rate. It’s clear that efforts to stem
the loss of biodiversity have not worked and business as usual will
amount to, at best, a continued, managed decline. That’s why we,
along with conservation and science colleagues around the world,
are calling for the most ambitious international agreement yet
– a new global deal for nature and people – to bend the curve of
biodiversity loss. Decision-makers at every level from individuals
to communities, countries and companies need to make the right
political, financial and consumer choices to realize the vision that
humanity and nature can thrive. This vision is possible with strong
leadership from us all.
Reframing the debate: Nature is our only home
This Living Planet Report joins an ever-increasing number of
research and policy papers building the case that our planet’s
natural systems are fundamental to our society.
This report’s Living Planet Index also outlines how much nature we
are losing. It shows an overall decline of 60% in species population
sizes between 1970 and 2014, while current rates of species
extinctions are 100 to 1,000 times higher than the background rate
(the extinction before human pressure became a prominent factor).
Other indicators measuring different changes in biodiversity all
paint the same picture – that of dramatic, continued loss.
Yet, the future of millions of species on Earth seems not to have
captured the imagination or attention of the world’s leaders enough
to catalyse the change necessary. We need to radically escalate the
political relevance of nature and galvanize a cohesive movement
across state and non-state actors to drive change, to ensure that
public and private decision-makers understand that business as
usual is not an option.
WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 30
Between now and 2020, a year when global leaders will make key
decisions on biodiversity, climate and sustainable development,
we have a unique opportunity to build momentum towards
the most ambitious deal yet – one that provides a blueprint for
biodiversity and for people to 2050 and beyond. Bending the curve
of biodiversity loss – with a new framework for biodiversity that
can start to reverse the loss of nature by 2030 – needs to be at its
core. Such a deal is essential not just for nature but for people too,
because addressing the decline in natural systems is key to achieving
the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris
Agreement on Climate Change.
A new global deal for nature and people
In our contribution to this pathway, WWF is collaborating with a
consortium of almost 40 universities, conservation organizations
and intergovernmental organizations to launch the research
initiative Bending the Curve of Biodiversity Loss.
Models and scenarios can assist in mapping the best path ahead.
This critical work will explicitly include biodiversity in future
systems modelling, helping us to identify potential win-win
solutions for both nature and people. These new models will form
the cornerstone of a future edition of the Living Planet Report.
We are proud to be a part of this collective initiative. We all need
to embrace this ambition. Piecing together the biggest threats to
nature means that we can better protect it. Not much time is left.
WE ARE THE FIRST GENERATION THAT HAS
A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE VALUE OF NATURE
AND THE ENORMOUS IMPACT WE HAVE ON IT.
WE MAY ALSO BE THE LAST THAT CAN ACT TO
REVERSE THIS TREND. FROM NOW UNTIL 2020
WILL BE A DECISIVE MOMENT IN HISTORY.
Summary page 31
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WWF Living Planet Report 2018 page 34 Summary page 35

 LIVING PLANET REPORT 2018

• LIVING PLANET REPORT 2018 SUMMARY

BIODIVERSITY
100%
RECYCLED
The Living Planet Index,
which measures biodiversity
abundance levels based on
16,704 populations of 4,005

NATURE MATTERS
vertebrate species across
the globe, shows an overall
decline of 60% since 1970.
Biodiversity is essential for our
health, wellbeing, food and
security as well as the stability
of economic and political
systems worldwide.

AIMING HIGHER
THREATS A new global deal for nature
and people, with clear,
ambitious goals, targets and
The biggest drivers of
metrics, is needed to bend
current biodiversity loss are
the curve of biodiversity loss.
overexploitation and agriculture,
both of which are the result of
continually increasing human
consumption.
INT

Why we are here

To stop the degradation of the planet’s natural environment and
to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

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